edf.org Archives - 14 August 2018, Tuesday

Andrew Wheeler, who’s leading the Environmental Protection Agency as acting administrator, brings a long history of lobbying for the coal and chemical industries – and serious conflicts of interest. He was paid handsomely by his clients, serving many of them as recently as 2017. Now, ...

(Washington, D.C. – July 28, 2018) The Trump Administration is on the verge of issuing a proposal to slam the brakes on America’s successful program to reduce pollution from cars – and attacking long-standing state authority to maintain clean car programs at the same time – according ...

(Washington D.C. – July 26, 2018) Tonight the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency withdrew an unlawful loophole that would allow more super-polluting freight trucks onto our roads – trucks that present a serious and urgent threat to the health of all Americans. “This is a huge win fo...

With another triple-digit heatwave scorching the Southwest this week, fears of widespread outages are back. California’s grid operator has urged homes and businesses to crank up thermostats and avoid running power-hungry appliances during evening peak hours – all in an effort to avoid...

“EDF applauds Rep. Carlos Curbelo and the bill sponsors for putting forward an innovative proposal to fund American infrastructure that would also cut climate pollution. The bill marks a welcome and overdue return to bipartisan engagement on policy solutions after years when some in C...

Recent advancement in wildlife tracking technology is revolutionizing our understanding of wildlife behavior, habitat needs and relationships among species. As much as I personally enjoy watching the webcam of peregrine falcons nesting atop PG&E headquarters in downtown San Francisco,...

(Washington D.C. – July 18, 2018) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled today to suspend an EPA loophole that would allow more super-polluting freight trucks that present a serious and urgent threat to the health of all Americans onto our roads. Environmental Defense Fu...

For 18 months now, the Trump administration has waged an aggressive battle against science in an effort to bolster the interests of polluters. That same campaign to undermine truth and mislead the public has infected the politically-appointed leadership of the U.S. Environmental Prote...

(Washington, D.C. – July 17, 2018) Experts for Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today to withdraw the “censored science” proposal – a proposed rule that would bar the agency from considering some of our most important public health s...

(WASHINGTON – July 16, 2018) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced today that Kathleen ‘Katie’ McGinty, a nationally recognized environmental leader, is the new leader and Senior Vice President of the Oceans program. Amanda Leland, who headed the Oceans program for the past six y...

Recent reporting on the discovery and enhancement of plastic-dissolving enzymes in bacteria made me stop and think about what this might mean for the plastic pollution problem that is plaguing oceans and choking the world’s coral reefs. While this development is interesting and draws ...

"ExxonMobil made an important statement by cutting ties with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC has systematically attacked climate and environmental policies that support healthy communities, a stable climate, and regulatory certainty that can help businesses thri...

As former energy industry lobbyist Andrew Wheeler settles into his new job as acting head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, he has a brief window to distinguish himself from the disastrous tenure of Scott Pruitt. It won’t be enough to avoid ordering used Trump hotel mattres...

(WASHINGTON – July 11, 2018) The U.S. House of Representatives voted to advance H.R. 200 today, putting the future of our nation’s fisheries at risk. EDF joined many leading fishing organizations, seafood industry leaders, chefs, scientists, and other conservation groups in strongly o...

Editor's note: This post was updated on July 5, 2018, after the resignation of Scott Pruitt. Scott Pruitt’s resignation as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency means that former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler will be leading the agency as acting administrator. Those breathin...

Not to worry, there are no Scott Pruitt, lead poisoning or overfishing stories on this list. These books are about can-do Americans, our ever-changing landscapes, resilient wildlife and environmental successes you’ve never heard of. And if you add Environmental Defense Fund as your fa...

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The media, and environmental groups like mine, have been putting a lot of focus on Scott Pruitt’s ethical problems. You may have heard that Pruitt – head of the Environmental Protection Agency – charged taxpayers $1,500 for a dozen personalized pens, sent government workers to buy his...

One day in the not-so-distant future, oil refineries, chemical plants, natural gas wells and other industrial sites will be fully wired. A network of sensors will detect a harmful pollutant the moment a leak occurs, and within minutes, a maintenance crew will be deployed to complete t...

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) A study available today in the journal Science finds that the U.S. oil and gas industry emits 13 million metric tons of methane from its operations each year—nearly 60 percent more than currently estimated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The highe...

“San Antonio, Texas is one of several areas in my home state that is particularly at risk. EPA has still not determined whether air quality in the San Antonio area meets the 2015 standard, despite the fact that monitors in the area have exceeded [recommended levels] for several years,...

Much attention has been focused on the effects of climate change on forests, farms, freshwater sources and the economy. But what about the ocean? Even with its vast capacity to absorb heat and carbon dioxide, the physical impacts of climate change on the ocean are now very clear and d...

A walk through the baby aisle of any pharmacy will reveal a sea of products shouting "BPA-free" on their packaging. Bisphenol-A – better known as BPA – is an industrial chemical that's used in many household plastics and food packages. It's capable of interfering with the body's hormo...

Our clean cars standards – a win-win policy that reduces pollution while saving Americans money at the pump – are at risk, and the Trump administration’s attempt to roll them back has already spurred a multi-state legal challenge. Even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s own Sc...

How tackling fertilizer loss led to a new conservation solution. A new generation of tech-savvy, data-hungry young farmers have reinvented large-scale agriculture. By analyzing data gathered from sensors, tractors and satellites, today’s farmers are able to track crop health, make pla...

The following maps show how air pollution impacts the health of individuals age 65 and above in parts of Oakland. EDF used local pollution monitoring data from our earlier study to estimate exposures by averaging all measurements within 30 meters of each residential parcel. We then us...

In 1964, the U.S. Surgeon General shocked Americans with an advisory linking tobacco to lung cancer and chronic bronchitis. The anti-smoking campaign that ensued was one of the biggest public health successes of all time. Too bad that the Trump administration has decided to censor the...

Under the pretense of rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure, President Trump’s recent plan guts health and environmental protections that guided major construction projects for 40-plus years. What’s more, his proposal overlooks much-needed investments that make communities more resil...

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A new study published today in the journal Environmental Health shows that differences in traffic-related air pollution are associated with higher rates of heart attacks and deaths from heart disease in the elderly. Scientists from Environmental Defense Fund and Kaiser Permanente Nort...

(BATON ROUGE) Today, the Fiscal Year 2019 Coastal Annual Plan passed unanimously on the Louisiana Senate floor – its last stop during this 2018 regular session. This plan is the annual funding vehicle that supports the implementation of the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, the 50-year vision...

“It needs to be noted that EPA’s statement falls short of committing to finalize a ban. It is vitally important that EPA move quickly to implement a ban, and that includes ensuring necessary administrative procedures are followed to guarantee a permanent ban and that these products ar...